Colts Owner Jim Irsay Defends Market For Running Backs, Calls Out Agents For ‘Bad Faith’ Negotiations

Is Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay spouting common sense or nonsense?

Irsay posted a fiery comeback against the RB pay discourse on social media Wednesday afternoon.

Running backs aren't happy that they're not getting massive extensions from their respective teams, and Irsay's saying, that's too bad.

The Colts owner tweeted that the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, collectively agreed upon by the league and players, dictates the RB market. Teams shouldn't receive a bad rap for not exorbitantly paying running backs.

Irsay also bad-mouthed agents for 'bad faith' negotiations.

Irsay's fiery response also comes on the heels of contract extension talks for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.

Expect those negotiations to be rocky.

Irsay was so fired up about the alleged RB wage disparity narrative that he put out a hastily edited tweet — pushing back on the narrative.

Irsay tweeted, "NFL Running Back situation — We have negotiated a CBA, that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides ... to say now that a specific player category wants another negotiation after the fact, is inappropriate. Some agents are selling 'bad faith' ..."

Well ... Jonathan Taylor's agent caught the tweet and gave an equally fired-up response.

"Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player," Taylor’s agent, Malki Kawa, responded on Twitter. 

The Colts running back has been a chief weapon of Indy's offense for the past two seasons. He led the league in rushing yards in his 2021 rookie year (1,811) and is keen on rebounding from an injury year in 2022.

At Jonathan Taylor's caliber of play, the Colts are expected to offer a massive deal for JT in 2024.

But in the new age of the NFL market, do running backs deserve their pay?

Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard are running backs (all Pro Bowlers in 2022) that lasted until training camps without receiving a tremendous contract extension for their services.

Some around the league call the 'undervalued' pay "criminal" and ask that elite running backs' value be worth more than $10 million per season.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

In recent weeks, the lack of elite contracts offered to running backs this offseason led to group chats and a Zoom gathering by the league's best at the position.

To Irsay's credit, he — so far — has established himself as the loudest voice against running backs' outcries to get paid more.

Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

The running backs' movement was strong to start but suffered a considerable blow when Saquon Barkley ultimately relented and signed for merely $1 million more than the Giants' franchise tag offered.

Barkley will now make $11 million rather than the prorated $10.1 million from the tag.

Jonathan Taylor can start demanding $20 million per season with another exceptionally played season.

Based on Irsay's tweet from Wednesday, the owner may prove reluctant to pay up.